white cloud minnow question

[Pointy_kitty]

i just read a post on white cloud minnows and i guess it slipped my mind
i have a beautiful 20gal community aquarium with 13" of fish perfectly balanced to reach 20" of fish once they are full grown
it has a very good filter/heater
a couple of my fish will take years to grow (and they gunna be the biggest fish in the tank so they will use a good 25% of the tank space)

so here's the thing
i have buddies for all of the fish except the white cloud
he is 1 year old (middle aged )
and he had a small 3 fish school at one point but they faded away slowly as the white clouds here are sold very young and frail
when i went back to the store they said they have been getting bad batches lately and have had almost every white cloud from the last 2 batches returned dead

so should i get 2 more
he's a big loner
my tank wouldn't be overstocked due to how slowly my big fish will grow and a white clouds lifespan is only 2-3 years

 

[cutechic]

1 year old is actually quite young for a white cloud. Mine's been going strong for 5 years now. You should get 3 or 4 more white clouds if you have good filtration (live plants would also help) and are willing to do some extra maintenance. White clouds are schooling fish, and having more will make them happier & healthier. My white cloud is miserable all by himself, and as soon as I move my platy fry to my ten gallon, I'm buying him some friends.

 

[Pointy_kitty]

1 year old is actually quite young for a white cloud. Mine's been going strong for 5 years now. You should get 3 or 4 more white clouds if you have good filtration (live plants would also help) and are willing to do some extra maintenance. White clouds are schooling fish, and having more will make them happier & healthier. My white cloud is miserable all by himself, and as soon as I move my platy fry to my ten gallon, I'm buying him some friends.

i understand about the schooling fish and i do a 10%-15% water change every week ( to correct any slight overfeeding )
so you think it would be better to keep him happy and break the 1" of fish per gallon rule? (if i got 4 more it would be 4" over crowded )

 

[Opcn]

Its a sugestion not a rule so follow it when you can but dont live or die by it. The decreased stress of having that fish happy will increase his imune system and make your tank stronger and healthier for all the inhabitance. IMHO.

Opcn

 

[Pointy_kitty]

Its a sugestion not a rule so follow it when you can but dont live or die by it. The decreased stress of having that fish happy will increase his imune system and make your tank stronger and healthier for all the inhabitance. IMHO.

Opcn

well said

i just want the best for my fish
i'll pick him up some friends tomorrow!
i'll keep ya posted on his reaction